The History Department offers a vibrant research environment for students pursuing the MPhil and PhD degrees. Building on a century-long tradition of academic excellence, our postgraduate community produces rigorous and original scholarship across a wide spectrum of global, regional, and thematic histories.

Our research students benefit from the department's global and cross-boundary approach to history. Whether working on China, Hong Kong, Asia, Europe, America or comparative and transnational topics, students are encouraged to situate their research within broader historical conversations that cross regional and disciplinary boundaries. Our faculty’s expertise spans a wide range of fields and methodologies, from social and cultural history to the history of empire, law, business, women and gender, and the environment, providing students with rich intellectual resources and mentorship as they develop their own research agendas. Through close supervision, students are trained to develop original research questions, engage critically with primary and secondary sources, and produce scholarship of lasting significance.

Joining our research community means becoming part of a collegial and intellectually stimulating environment, where students present work-in-progress, participate in departmental seminars and workshops, and engage with visiting scholars from around the world. We invite you to explore the possibilities of pursuing historical research at HKU, a place where curiosity, rigor, and global perspectives converge.